Who Will Pull You Through
by Pineapple-Mango-Cat
Summary: Highschool AU One Shot. Cress was just rescued from her abusive and neglectful home situation away from her mother, and with going to a new school for the first time comes anxiety, a beautiful boy named Carswell Thorne, and a group of spunky friends.


And of course, Cress had the audacity to bump into someone on the first day of her new school. It seemed like the typical cliché high school thing- girl bumps into boy and instantly falls in love. Now that Cress had actually experienced it, she was flooded with embarrassment and anxiety.

"Stars, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. Really sorry- I didn't mean to bump into you. I'm just stupid and clumsy, I'm sorry-" she probably would have ran on forever if he didn't cut her off. Although it was just a simple little thing, Cress was flooded with squelching feelings of self hate.

"Hey, it's okay." The boy she bumped into grabbed onto her wrists, sternly looking into her eyes with a brow raised. Oh goodness he was beautiful, but Cress pulled away at his touch of her wrist after feeling the shudder of anxiety go through her, shivering and tucking her head down. "Sorry." She whispered again. She felt the tears gathering her eyes and quickly rubbed them away. She couldn't do this. Not on her first day of school. Public school- ever.

He pursed his lips, gathering up her books and placing them precautiously into her arms. He was tall- reaching over a foot above her. Or maybe Cress was just short.

"Hey, do you need some help? You look like you haven't ever been in a school before." He asked.

"That's because I haven't-" she muttered with apprehension. His eyebrows raised a little bit at the strange comment, but regardless he nodded and asked her where her locker was. She passed over the piece of old notebook paper that had her locker number and combination scrawled out on it, handed to her from the front desk.

He read over it. "Sort of nearby mine. I'll take you over there if you want."

Cress nodded feverishly, aware that she was sweating and her whole body was probably beet red. Not only did she feel so embarrassed she wanted to disappear right there- but after being neglected and locked in her basement bedroom for sixteen years and seeing sunlight for the first time just a week ago, her skin had developed some kind of weird condition that left blemishes all over her face and arms, especially when she was in the sun. That, and combined with scars and bruises she'd collected in the dark basement home from broken objects, loose nails, and sharp edges, her pale body had taken on a rough shape.

But the boy didn't seem to notice. He looked down and smiled once in awhile at her and stared at her eyes. She did notice that they both seemed to have the exact same electric blue eyes.

Eventually he came to a stop. "Do you know how to open your locker?" He questioned, his expression joking like he didn't expect Cress to answer no. But she did, and although he was surprised, he stayed there for a while and told her how to turn the lock to open it. Cress nodded in thank you and relief as he began walking away.

"What's your name, by the way?" He asked Cress. She looked back up at the taller boy. "Oh- Cress." She answered simply. He grinned and gave her a thumbs up as he walked away, adjusting his brown pilot jacket back over his shoulders that was slipping off.

Cress quickly stuffed her things in her locker, making her way to her first English class, breathing slowly to regulate her breath. She knocked on the door slightly before opening it to see a woman jotting something down on a whiteboard with a pink marker.

"Oh- hello dear! Your Cress, right?" The teacher asked, spinning around and pushing her glasses farther up her nose.

Cress looked down at her feet with a sigh. "Yeah."

"Hey, keep your head up." The teacher insisted. "I'm Mrs. Fae, as you probably know. And I just want to let you know all of us have heard about your situation-" she gestured to Cress. "And we are here to help you transition into this school as comfortably as possible. You already have your pass to leave class a few minutes early before passing hour, and just let me know if there's anything I can do for you, alright? I know it was really hard for you. But I'm sure you'll do fine here. Your seat is over in the front, third desk on the right."

Cress gave a weak smile, assured and thankful of her words, but still filled with anxiety. The passing hour bell rang just as Cress sat down, and she only had to wait a few minutes, trying to breathe. Her legs tapped against the floor. Breathe in one, out on two. Like the therapist said. She was going to be okay. She was going to make friends, and she was no longer with her mother. She didn't have to worry about anything.

The classes were pretty uneventful up until Lunch. Language Arts, Math, and Science she all got through without throwing up, so that was good. Her locker took a little getting used to, and Cress got a little panicky when passing hour started as she was still getting her stuff out, scared to be lost in the swarm of people, but she made it to her next class safely. Cress hoped she could do this.

She found her way in the lunch line, landing next to the prettiest girl she had ever seen in real life. Black curls running down her mid back and dark, rich colored skin with no imperfections except a scar of three thin red lines running across her face. But it made her seem even more beautiful.

The girl looked back to her while sliding her tray and picking up a salad. "Are you new? I haven't seen you around before," She asked. Even her voice was sweet and kind.

"Yeah, I'm new." Cress mumbled quietly, picking up a salad of her own.

"I'm Winter. Do you want to sit with me and my friends today? You look pretty lost," She asked simply. She navigated around the place easily, picking up the rest of her food. Cress mostly did the same- but she upturned her nose at a strange smelling soda she chose and took iced tea instead. "Yeah, thank you." Cress smiled gladly. Winter grinned. "It's gonna be okay. It's nice here at Artemesia."

Cress sighed in relief at her kindness and followed the girl over to a table that was mostly empty. Another two girls and a boy sat there already. One of the girls had just been sitting down as Cress and Winter sat down, flinging a package of cookies into the girl who sat next to her's face.

"Stop being so aggressive with your cookies, Cinder!" The girl protested.

They turned their attention to Cress, who sat down, and the only boy who sat there, looked over to her with a questioning look.

"Ehm-" Cress coughed. Her voice began drying and her palms sweaty. She knew this Winter girl was friendly, so she should expect the same from her friends, right?"

"I'm Cress. Sorry- I'll go sit somewhere else if you don't-"

But she was cut of by the girl who had been called Cinder. Cinder grabbed her hand. "Hey- it's okay. Don't say sorry, you did nothing wrong."

Cress smiled appreciatively. Maybe these girls would be okay. "Sorry- I just have a few issues."

"Ha!" The other girl, who was now munching on cookies that were respectively thrown at her. "You'll fit right in. I don't mean that rudely- we just all have stuff going on, and we help each other out. So of course if you're struggling, we will help you out too."

Cress nodded. "Thank you. I really appreciate that- this is the first time I've ever been to school."

"Home schooled?" Winter asked. "Me and Jacin too-" she pointed to the boy sitting next to her, lazily picking through ramen noodles while working on some sort of homework.

"Something like that-" Cress replied.

"Anyways," Winter said. "Allow me to introduce you to our group. I'm Winter, that's Cinder, our problematic fave-" she pointed to the girl. She blew a lock of brown hair out of her face before biting into a sandwich again. Cress noticed only now that her hand had to be fake. A metal wrist, attached to her arm farther up with five metal fingers. "Scarlet- the best group mom we could ever have, and Jacin- nice guy who gets us out of most of our troubles."

"Nice to meet you," Cress smiled. "Like I said- I'm Cress."

"You too," Cinder said thoughtfully while chewing on her sandwich. "So, what do you do? Like hobbies, jobs and stuff?"

"Oh," Cress said, trailing off. Her first friends- she had no idea how to do this. "I'm good with computers. I like to program and- sing, I guess. I'm in the school choir and advanced computers class."

"That's cool. So what brings you here to our school, if you don't mind me asking?" Scarlet asked.

Cress bit her lip for a moment. She didn't know what she should say- after all, in the T.V. dramas when you revealed some big secret it got spread around as gossip. But these girls seemed really kind, and for the first time in her new city, she felt hopeful for having friends.

"Well- Is it okay if you kind of keep it to us? I just don't think I'd want the whole school knowing." Cress began.

"Of course!" Winter assured her.

Cress let out a breath. "Well- for fifteen years I was living with my mom. My mom was not exactly the best. My room was in my basement, my mom neglected me and screamed at me when I didn't do what she wanted, and I never came out until just about a week ago when the police found me."

"That's awful." Scarlet muttered. "Abusive parents are the death of me. Dad was the same way- except drunk and I had to do all of the cooking and cleaning."

"I'm sorry," Cress's features sunk. Although it was hard living with her mother, she hoped not many other people had gone through stuff like she had. And it horrified her that something like that was so common. "I hope your doing better now."

Scarlet nodded while she took a hair tie off her wrist and gathered her hair to tie up in a ponytail. "I am! And I hope you are too. Your mom sounds horrible."

Cress nodded. "Yeah- it's getting better. I still have a hard time with my anxiety, and my skin has been having a hard time being in the sun, but at least I've met you guys, and hopefully we can be friends."

Winter nodded vigorously. "Of course! Your really pretty, and we will be glad to show you around. By the way, if there's anything that triggers your anxiety, let us know so we won't do it."

The happiness in Cress was even more unexplainable now- these were the first people she met outside her mother's home that were her age, and they were so considerate. "Mostly just loud noises, being with a lot of people- and- touching me when I don't know you're there. So maybe just give me a heads up before you grab onto my shoulder or my hand. I appreciate your consideration."

"Of course," all of them chorused.

"We're here when you need us." Cinder said giving a grin. "So, meet anyone interesting other than us today?"

Cress wracked her mind. "Well yeah- there was one guy who I bumped into. I kept apologizing and it was pretty embarrassing, but he was really kind about it and helped me with my locker."

Scarlet smiled. "How gentlemanly- there's only a few boys in our school who would do that." She looked over and elbowed Cinder. "Ooh, I wonder if it was your boyfriend Kai."

Cinder flushed a bit in anger. "He's not my boyfriend, okay?"

Scarlet snickered and looked back over to Cress. "What was his name? Or what did he look like?"

Cress shrugged. "I didn't get his name. But he was really pretty- had the same color blue eyes as me and light brown hair. Just wore a brown pilot jacket-"

Cinders eyes widened, and she shoved her fork in her bowl of salad angrily. "Thorne-" she whispered over to Scarlet.

Scarlet looked over to Cress. "He's bad news. Stay away from him."

Cress didn't understand. "Why? He seemed so nice."

"That's part of his act," Cinder insisted, "He's just a flirtatious deadbeat. Has never dated a girl, and never will. He just flirts and act like he's the hottest person on the planet. I had him for a Chemistry partner last year. You would not BELIEVE how many jokes he made about the fact we were in Chemistry and how many jokes he made about us having chemistry."

Cress shrugged. "Alright, I believe you."

A week since the new girl had been here. She was cute. Really cute.

Something about her was so different from other girls- she wasn't a girl to completely fall under his charm, and she wasn't a complete asshat like Cinder. Just shy, but talented. They were in the same Tech Ed class, and almost every day she was praised for her quick learning and good work.

He wanted to hang out with her- learn more about her. Although he knew it couldn't have been good, he wondered why she had so many scars scattered on her skin and why her skin was so red, even though throughout the week her skin had healed quite quickly into a pale milky skin tone. She was very mysterious, and Thorne itched to sit down and buy her a drink and see her up close. Hear her.

He didn't want to be creepy, but sometimes he caught himself just looking at her. He shook his head away, embarrassed, especially when his buddy Wolf had given him a questioning look.

And so finally on Friday, when he saw her walking out from school into the front courtyard, he ran to catch up to her. "Hey, Cress!"

She turned around, a look of curiosity plastered on her face. When she saw it was him, she looked away apprehensively.

"Hey," he said quickly. She looked back, a wild mix of embarrassment, and confusion. "Well, um- I just wanted to say that you seem really nice.. And I guess I was wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime?" He finished, tapping his fingers together anxiously awaiting her answer.

Her blue eyes darted around for a moment, and she shifted her weight onto one foot. "Well- I don't know." She looked to the ground. "I suppose. When?"

Thorne gave a flirtatious grin, relieved that she had accepted even after he had seen her with Cinder in the hallway, and excited to get to know her after wondering about her for so long. "Cool. When can we get together?"

She shrugged. "I dunno- I have to get to my ride for therapy today but I suppose maybe we can hang out after school tomorrow.."

"Sounds great. Meet me here tomorrow?" He smiled.

She nodded feverishly, and walked away, squeezing her books tightly in her arms. Thorne almost frowned- he got the impression that she was scared of him, but maybe she just had something going on in her life. It wasn't his business unless she wanted to tell him, even if he did wonder what happened to her.

She sat outside on the bench, tapping her feet nervously on the ground. Cress had been asked by a guy if she wanted to hang out with him. She was nervous, excited, and a jumble of emotions generally. He seemed really nice, and even Cinder had said she supposed he could be different but to keep an eye out.

Cress had even become much less self conscious about her skin. It seemed to be clearing up, and she was returning to color. Along with the two times a week therapy sessions, Cress felt much better about starting a new life, although she had had a fair share of panic attacks and nightmares still. But regardless, her therapist was really kind, and working on some of the EMDR therapy had helped.

School had been good as well. Her new friends were amazingly considerate and of course, hilarious. Having the first feel of friendship was nice.

Cress's adopted dad wasn't entirely thrilled about her hanging out with a boy, and warned Cress about them, but he said that she should do alright, and reminded her that she could leave any time.

And then Thorne strung out the doors in the few people who were exiting now.

"Sorry," he said quickly. "My locker was jammed."

Cress stood up, brushing the wrinkles off the skirt of her dress. "That's okay."

"Alright!" He whistled. "May I escort you to the coffee shop to get a drink?"

Cress pressed her mouth open. "Oh. I don't have any money-"

"Hey," he interrupted. "It's alright, I'll pay. No big deal."

Cress looked down in uncertainty for a moment. She didn't want someone to be paying for her-

He put a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, I insist."

Cress pulled away from his sudden touch with a squeak. Already her heart was beating a thousand miles an hour and she felt like she was in danger. All he did was touch her shoulder, and now Cress was overreacting.

He pulled away immediately after seeing Cress jump back and heave. "Hey, you okay? I'm sorry-"

Cress sucked in a few breaths. Slowly. "It's okay- it's my fault. I just tense up when people touch me or bump into me."

To Cress's surprise, he nodded, even if he did look confused. "I'm sorry about that. I'll let you know if I'm going to touch you, okay?"

The sympathy in his expression was sincere. Cress nodded. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

They began walking. Cress only followed where he was going. He kept a steady pace, hands shoved in his pockets but still watching to make sure the girl was following him. The sky was comically blue- it was a nice day outside, nearly cloudless but with a gentle breeze, and Cress let out another sigh of air, trying to let her anxiety ease. It was a few moments before they said anything.

"Hey, didn't you wear that dress yesterday? And the day before that?" Thorne asked curiously, looking at the fabric gently ruffling around her.

"Oh- no. It's just the same style. Different colors. I haven't really had time to go shopping quite yet since I've gotten here."

Thorne nodded and looked away. It still kind of struck him as interesting- why hadn't she had time for shopping? He admitted the dress was fairly pretty, but it was so plain and dull and ripped up that it didn't take a good shape on her.

They slowed down when they hit the coffee shop on the corner and stepped inside. Thorne slipped his wallet out of his pocket and held it to his side while they waited behind a few more high school kids who had come after school for a drink.

"What would you like? Like I said, on me." He said. "As long as it's under twenty dollars." He added quickly.

Cress nodded and shuffled her feet on the ground. "Tea, I guess."

His eyebrows raised in curiosity as he looked down towards her. "Alright. You like tea?"

She feverishly nodded. Goodness she was awkward.

Cress hung back while he ordered her a peppermint tea and a coffee for himself. Ordering wasn't her forte- she could never do it herself. She didn't understand why. It was just asking for food or drink- yet for some reason she was scared to speak her mind. Cress didn't like the way she was so scared of everything.

He spun around and handed Cress her drink, opening up the door and holding it open for her. "Ladies first." He winked.

Cress couldn't help but give a tiny smile at that. They kept walking on. Even though Cress wasn't physically touching Thorne, she could feel a certain aura of warmness coming off of him. At school he just seemed so much like other boys- but when they were alone he was gentlemanly. She supposed this could be good or bad- he could have legitimate feelings for her, or he could be pretending.

"I've seen you in Tech Ed," Thorne said into his coffee after a few moments of silence. "Where did you learn to do all that?"

Cress shrugged while taking another sip of her tea. It was great. For some odd reason the taste of fresh herbs reminded her of a home she had never been to. It tasted like nature, like goodness. "When I was younger I would have a lot of extra time, so I learned programming and hacking. My mom always made me go into files and things that weren't ours to find information."

Thorne was silent for a few seconds, the new and strange situation settling over them like a blanket of snow. "Your mom doesn't sound like- you know, the best mom."

Cress only nodded back solemnly. "She's in prison now. I was never close to her."

There was more silence for a few moments. Thorne looked down at her yet again. "I'm sorry."

Cress tapped her fingernails against her cup. "It's alright. I'm moving on."

More silence.

"That's good," Thorne coughed after a while. "Want to head to the park and sit down?"

Cress nodded.

They made their way to the park and sat down on a nearby bench, looking up at the sky. Cress absentmindedly began humming, tapping her feet together to the beat while gazing around the space. It was a pretty little place- trees and green grass and beautiful flowers scattering the place. There were a few patches of worn dirt, but it made the place more interesting.

"Do you sing?" He asked suddenly. Cress looked over in alarm, pursing her lips together. "Sorry- I didn't realize I was humming."

He gently rested a hand on her shoulder, holding her gaze to make sure that was okay. "Hey- Cress. You don't need to say sorry all the time. You did nothing wrong. I liked it. I was wondering if you sang because you have a pretty voice."

Cress sat silently as warmth spread out through her chest. He liked her voice. He wanted her to sing.

"Thank you. And I agree, I think I need to work on that."

He sighed and leaned back onto the wood of the bench lazily, closing his eyes. "Old suitcase, clean getaway. I'm the one who takes the blame again-" he began singing softly. His voice was silky and husky at the same time, a certain flirtatious demeanor on it despite the fact he was singing a song that was originally sang by a fifteen year old girl. Cress was surprised to know that he knew the song anyways- she liked the artist he was singing.

And so she joined in- "New day but the same lines, I feel like a victim of the dollar sign." She sang softly, leaning back onto the bench next to Thorne. His eyes blinked open. "You have a pretty voice. You should sing."

The song was placed on pause for the moment as Cress gave him a smile. "Yours too."

"All these years on my own- Fight my fight all alone-" he continued passionately, raising a hand in the air and plucking a leaf from the tree hanging above them.

"Till you came, don't you know. Don't you know!" Cress sang brightly.

In this moment the both of them were genuinely happy and probably making a fool of themselves in front of the few middler schoolers walking around the park."Baby you're the highlight of my low life, my low life!"

It was then that Thorne realized he was slowly falling in love with her. After that first day, a few times a week they met up to study together. Long walks in the park became more frequent, standing side by side with hands clasped and singing together, sometimes not all that great.

The first day, she seemed very anxious and unsettled. But gradually she seemed more content, maybe even excited to hang out with him. And he was noticing more things about her- the speckles of brown freckles across her squeezed nose as she scribbled out geometry equations. The way she carried herself when she wasn't anxious, confidently, pretty- lovely. It just made Thorne sad that in that beautiful girl there was anxiety plaguing her. She still hadn't told him much else about her situation.

Three weeks after the first day, and the Friday had come around. He had planned on asking her on a date, but yet of course every time he pressed his lips open to ask her, he bit it back. He didn't know if she liked him the way she did. Besides, he was flirtatious Thorne- he went on dates with girls but he never actually dated girls. Like, dated girls. Cress was the first girl he actually felt something for, and he was astounded of his own feelings now.

But he needed to ask. It seemed the perfect time- Cress was walking through the hallways, having gotten used to the loud noise in the hall and trying to help ease her anxiety by getting in more social situations, and was walking towards him.

"Hey Thorne-"

"Hey Cress, can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

She stopped, eyes filling with anxiety. "Is there something wrong?"

"No it's just-" he continued, his voice cracking. He was very aware now of her looking at him, and oh- Cinder and friends had stopped, staring at the both of them. Cinder and Scarlet looked like they were about to chop his head off if he touched Cress, and Winter looked on curiously.

"Do you wanna go see a movie with me tonight?" He finally let out.

Her cheeks were instantly red. "Like- like a date? See a movie as a date?"

"I mean, if you want to-" he squeaked. Oh lord- she was so adorable.

"Yeah. I would like that. I mean, sure. Yes. Of course-"

Relief flooded through Thorne. "Great, um. Can I pick you up at your house tonight at seven?"

Another embarrassed nod from Cress. "Yeah, my dad will want to meet you."

Thorne gave another nod even though he was internally screaming. He had to impress her dad too? His gaze rested over at Cinder, who was staring with awe. He could feel his cheeks flush as well. "Good, Cress. See you then-" he said quickly, winking in attempt to be smooth while walking backwards.

Cress winced from having stabbed herself violently in the eye with a mascara wand- and then suddenly there was a knock at the door. She frantically ran around her room, slipping on a pair of black flats and slinging a purse over her shoulder, stepping out into the hallway, staying just behind so she could hear the conversation below.

"So, you're the famous Carswell Thorne I've heard about?" She heard her dad say.

Cress cringed. Sage Darnel may be a great doctor, but an embarrassing dad.

"Yeah-" Thorne laughed, a hint of nervousness in his voice. "Yep. That's me."

"Now," her dad continued. "You seem like a nice boy, but just promise me a few things, alright? No drinking, nothing illegal, she's home by ten thirty."

"Yes sir."

"And don't you dare touch her in any-"

"Okay dad," Cress laughed, immediately breaking up the conversation by sliding down the top few stairs. Her dad smiled and nodded expressionless, and Thorne stopped suddenly, just staring.

All she had worn was a flowy blue dress with a cardigan over it, but his mouth still stood still.

"You look pretty, Cress," he coughed, trying to recover smoothly after the moment of staring. Though she couldn't condemn herself to not being able to stare, she had to admit he was looking really good leaning up against her doorframe with a button up and his pilot jacket, twirling the keys to his car around his fingers methodically.

"Ready to go?" He asked. Cress gave a small nod and smile, stepping down the staircase and standing beside him. Her dad gave Thorne one last careful glance while he opened the door and escorted Cress out.

The night air was cold, but refreshing, and the sky sparkled with stars. Thorne slipped his fingers between hers without a second thought as they ran down the stairs of her apartment building. Thorne's car was simple- just a little silver thing, but it worked despite the dents along its edges. Cress slipped into the passenger side. They didn't say much as he drove through the small city, stopping at the theater.

The movie wasn't that good- it was terrible actually, cheesy and bad, but laughing next to Thorne and choking on popcorn had been fun regardless. By the time they got out, it was still nine thirty, and Cress still had an hour, so Thorne drove back over to their favorite park, twisted out the key, and sighed, leaning back and opening up the sky roof to enjoy the view.

"That was fun." He sighed happily.

"It was," she replied quietly.

"You know," he said, cracking his fingers. "You're beautiful."

Cress grinned. "You too."

And then there was silence for a few more moments. Cress thought about her mom, and what Sybil would think of her new boyfriend- boyfriend? Was he her boyfriend now? Then again, she couldn't even imagine what Sybil would think.

Cress's hand drifted slowly over to Thorne's and he clasped his fingers in hers, rubbing the back of her hand gently with his thumb.

"If you don't mind me asking, where did you live before here?" Thorne asked suddenly.

Her breath caught in her throat, looking over to his worried expression with a sigh. "Yeah- um. I lived with my mom."

And with that, he didn't say anything else, just gave a small nod and continued looking up.

"I never imagined that my life would ever be like this-" Cress whispered, her voice cracking. Memories of her mom flooded back to her, and she could feel her eyes water. "I really appreciate you. So much. I couldn't ask for anyone better."

Thorne looked over with a gentle smile. "You too. Something changed about me when I met you, Cress. And I just hope that you can get past whatever your mom did."

Cress smiled appreciatively but looked away. "I just always thought I was the one causing the problems. She- neglected me. I was trapped in a basement for sixteen years forced to hack into company databases to get information for her. I had just enough to eat and drink, but barely. And I never had seen the light of day until the police finally found me and Dr. Darnel adopted me. She's in prison now. I don't know what happened to my real dad."

Thorne looked at her from his seat, struck at her words. "Oh my god, Cress- that's horrible."

She only gave a small sigh yet again. "It was."

"Come here," Thorne beckoned. Cress looked back at him and shrugged, crawling over the middle of the front seats to sit in front of Thorne. "Here," he said, moving over towards the door. "There's enough room for you to fit."

Cress squeezed next to him on the seat. Her body fit perfectly next to his on the reclined driver's seat, but her head was a different story. "Can I-?" She asked cautiously, pointing to his chest. He probably didn't know exactly what she meant but he nodded anyways, and Cress curled up alongside him, laying her head on his slowly rising and falling chest.

"I'm glad we met." Thorne said softly, now that she was closer. "And I can't imagine how that must have been for you. I'm here to help you, okay?" And then he began scratching through Cress's hair, gently rubbing her scalp. Cress's eyes dropped and she felt herself fall limp against him.

"We should probably get home." She murmured.

"Alright," he sighed. "That's probably a good idea. But I was wondering first if- I don't know. Maybe you wanted to…"

And then they were leaning in slowly and at some point Cress said 'yes' so softly only he had heard and then their lips were pressed together. Their noses bumped and it wasn't at all perfect, but just his soft lips and minty breath from having insisted on flossing the popcorn kernels out of his teeth after the movie, and then it was already over and Cress's heart was still pounding. She looked wide eyed at Thorne's grinning expression, and scrambled back to her seat, heart beating a thousand miles an hour.

"Now let's get you back home," He said with a yawn.


End file.
